New Signage, Accessibility Upgrades Coming to Cherriots Bus Stops

Cherriots is building better bus stops as part of its multi-year campaign to improve basic infrastructure used by its riders.

For the new year, it’s out with cherry-red and in with river-blue at a bus stop near you. Cherriots has started installing new signs, with its updated logo, at its bus stops and shelters in Salem and Keizer.

Signs with the Cherriots blue and white design now cover Route 26 and Route 27, the newly expanded bus service in West Salem. Thirty new bus stops, as well as 16 bus stops once used by the discontinued West Salem Connector, display the updated signs.

By the end of summer, Cherriots intends to install new signs at the remainder of its approximately 750 bus stops.

New signs are a small part of the more than $2.5 million Bus Stop Improvement Project. Two years ago, Cherriots replaced approximately 100 old bus shelters with new shelters.

“Probably two-thirds of the shelters didn’t meet ADA standards and all of them were in pretty bad condition as far as leaking and weak spots,” said Director of Transportation Development Steve Dickey.

Dickey said the Bus Stop Improvement Project is the most comprehensive upgrade of bus stops and shelters the Cherriots organization has ever undertaken.

This summer, the next phase of the Bus Stop Improvement Project begins. Construction planned for 2018 includes work at about 80 locations to bring bus stops into compliance with the ADA, Dickey said.

For example, work crews will pour concrete pads at some locations to improve access for people with disabilities. As of Jan. 5, the Transit District had not selected a construction contractor.

Salem and Keizer may also get a few new shelters. The Transit District monitors the usage of bus stops and, typically, a bus stop with 20 or more boardings per day will be considered for a bus shelter, Dickey said.

Funding

Federal and state grants provided funds for the Bus Stop Improvement Project. The funds are dedicated to capital improvement projects. The money cannot be used to pay for bus service operations, such as providing weekend bus service.

The Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS) Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a total of $695,380 from the Surface Transportation Program.

The Oregon Transportation Commission awarded Cherriots a grant of $1.9 million. The Transit District’s match for the project is $289,589.

Cherriots Regional stops get improvements, new look

In a separate project, Cherriots Regional bus stops in Marion and Polk counties are also being upgraded.

Jeff Carter Construction, a Salem contractor, will soon begin making improvements to bus stops and shelters used by Cherriots Regional riders, said Ted Stonecliffe, a Cherriots transit planner.

Work crews will install new signs and poles at about 50 Cherriots Regional bus stops, Stonecliffe said. By spring, four stops will have new shelters installed on concrete pads and a couple of existing shelters will be relocated, he said.

The Cherriots Regional stops getting new shelters are: the Stayton Park and Ride; Oak @ Robb in downtown Dallas; Main @ Polk in Independence; and 1st @ Lewis in Silverton.

About $70,000 in funding for infrastructure improvements to the Cherriots Regional bus stops was provided by the state’s Special Transportation Fund.

For more information on the bus stop improvement project, contact Steve Dickey, Director of Transportation Development, at 503-588-2424.